My Dear Friend of Democracy,
Watching yesterday's election night on television was as depressing as I had feared.
In two state elections in Germany, Thuringia and Saxony, the extremist far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD for short, received around a third of the votes.
Now, more than ever, it's crucial that we stand up for democracy in the face of these disheartening results.
One of these standing-up people is Maximilian Steinbeis, the founder and chief editor of Verfassungsblog, "an academic and journalistic open access forum of debate on topical events and developments in constitutional law and politics".
I really like Verfassungsblog.
Here is a quote from Steinbeis' worth-reading weekend blog post "Before the Storm":
"All the more important, then, to keep your head up. You're probably as tired of the words ‘civil society’ as the next guy, but it can't be helped: It's the key. Organise! Donate time and money! Stand in solidarity with those who will be the first to be affected! There's no lack of things that can be done right now."
See you in Europe,
Johannes